~ Finding Happiness Through Fitness, Food, and Fun

Category Archives: dinner

No that title is not describing me, not this time anyway. That friends is the description of a dish I have to share with you. But we will get to that shortly.

First, I’m happy to report today was a pretty good day! It started with a new workout and ended with a really great recipe – how could it not be good?? Here are all the ways today rocked!

Strength Training! Very early this morning, I went to my first group lifting class. I took a total body conditioning class at NYSC. It is a body pump style class, where you do a cardio strength routine set to music. These classes are great because they work all the major muscle groups using squats, lunges, presses, lifts and curls. You go for 50 minutes non-stop so it really gets your heart rate up. I have been really nervous to do a group class besides yoga or spinning, but it turns out I really loved it. I am going to make this class part of my weekly routine. Let’s hope it pulls me out of my weight lifting rut.

I received two emails this morning that I have been waiting for. Both have to do with running! First, was from Girls on the Run Manhattan. I applied to be a coach back in July, and while I don’t know if I got the position yet. They emailed me saying they are wrapping up the decision making and I should know within the week. The second email was from my new running coaches. The girls behind Hot Bird Running have this awesome training package for the Rock n’ Roll 10k in Brooklyn. I was already signed up and still with out a plan, so this was perfect. I am pretty pumped to have the opportunity to work with them. I have been on two group runs that they lead at Lululemon. I really enjoy their fun attitude towards running. I will get my training program soon, and I will definitely keep you updated.

I had The.Best.Salad.Ever for lunch! I took a bit of a long lunch break and walked up to Just Salad. I ordered the HUDSON VALLEY MIX:Baby Spinach, Butternut Squash, Broccoli, Apples, Goat Cheese, Beets, Pumpkin Seeds, Multigrain Croutons Suggested Dressing: Low-Fat Horseradish Chive. I subbed the croutons for egg whites and asked for light on the cheese and dressing. All my favorite things in one bowl. The whole big salad ended up being about 350 calories. You can calculate it right on their website too.

This salad tasted like Fall. And I think I have a new obsession with goat cheese. Bonus points – At Just Salad they chop up the salad too! Awesome. I am going to have to refrain from trying to get lunch here everyday. Maybe a once a week treat if I eat at home the rest of the week.

I had my last PT session this afternoon before going and gathering all my ingredients for dinner. Bryan has been dealing with some crazy moods swings from me lately, so I made this recipe for him. I tried to combine some of his favorite foods: pistachios and sushi. He always raves about this almond crusted salmon my mom made once, so I decided to switch out the almond for his favorite, pistachio. And while this isn’t raw sushi, the presence of fish and the spicy wasabi are reminiscent of it. Ever since seeing the wasabi pea powder on ice cream at the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, I have wanted to incorporate it into a recipe. So here we go

This fish recipe is nutty, zesty, and subtly spicy. Baking fish is so fast, easy, and healthy. And this recipe is pretty versatile you could sub in other types of fish such as salmon or halibut. I image it would even be good using chicken or tofu. It does have some rare/expensive ingredients. I know that tends to turn people off, but the ease of cooking and end product make it totally worth it.Wasabi pea powder can be found in the asian section of the grocery store and it only cost me $4. Wasabi is a Japanese horseradish. Another great use for it is combining the powder with equal parts water to make a paste and using it as a spicy sandwich spread.

Good evening! I have a recipe review to share from the Happy Herbivore Cookbook. For dinner, we went with meatless monday, and I made Hawaiian BBQ Teriyaki Chickpeas. There were a few small changes, like I did not add the szechuan sauce or the sugar. I also served it over 7 grain mix that I had on hand, instead of the brown rice. And I just added some jarred tomato salsa and chunks of pineapple and mango, instead of making pineapple salsa.

This dish was fabulous! And I am just the right amount of full. It is also carnivore approved by Bryan. We both agreed it was really fast and really flavorful.

I have been enjoying the flow yoga classes at Yoga to the People lately. Before dinner, I attended my third class in the last week. I used to really dislike yoga. I thought I did not have the patience. Now, I go to yoga as part of my workout routine. I want to sweat and get a good strength workout, while still giving my body the deep stretching it needs. Classes with chanting or meditation tend to turn me off. This is why I like these YTTP classes. They really focus on strength during the session and my shoulders have been killing me just from these classes. Although, I am not too big on the spiritual part of yoga, I am finding it relaxing and enjoyable when yoga relates to life.

All the students were shaking a bit and struggling through the hold. The instructor said:

“Don’t worry if you are swaying, balance is not about staying still.”

I have never thought about it before, but this is so true. In yoga you are never really standing still. To really work and do yoga correctly, you are always actively posing. Pushing up through your hands and down through your feet. I have never been able to just stand still in tree pose. The only way I have ever not fallen over is by pushing my heel against the grounded leg, while pushing that grounded leg back against my heel as well as down into the ground.

I immediately identified with his sentiment and could relate it to many aspects of my life. Living a healthy lifestyle to me means constantly striving to find balance or a happy medium. Finding balance between fun and working out, finding balance between career and life, finding balance between eating clean and “cheat meals.”

As most people find out when starting a new diet or fitness routine, all or nothing does not work too well. Finding this balance in my life means being flexible, not being too strict or standing still. I found that having flexibility is the only way I can stay on the path towards my goals while still being happy and enjoying my life. I was not happy when I could never meet up with my friends because I had a spin class I had to get to. Sometimes a healthy lifestyle means, going to a movie or happy hour, and changing up your workout routine.

For me the biggest thing was finding balance for a successful diet. My definition of diet is always what I habitually eat. This is not a temporary crash diet. This is important because I believe to maintain health and my weight loss, you have to develop healthy habits in eating. Again, being too strict does not work. At first I always tried completely cut out all treats or comfort foods from my diet, then it will not stick or become habitual. I would give it up and be back at the beginning. Binge eating and not feeling good. Finding a balance and times when it is okay to indulge is the only way to maintain healthy habits, keep your sanity, and be able to enjoy life. My favorite rule is 80/20. Aiming to eating healthy 80% of the time.

The great thing about finding balance is that it is always changing every day and allows you to grow and change with it. As your goals change or your life changes, so does how you find balance. I am going to be going back to school next year, so I am going to balance my daily routine fit that of a full time student as a posed to a full time 9-5ish professional.

So tell me-

How do you find balance in your life? It is mostly trial and error for me.

Is there an area you need to work on? I know I need to work on balancing my finances. This is definitely my weak area right now.

The weekend went by way to fast. And with the rain literally non stop all day, I had a very lazy day. I did go and see The Help this morning. I live about an 8 block walk from a movie theater. This was short enough to handle the rain and it would get me out of the apartment for a bit. The movie was good, but the book was definitely better. I was surprised at how many guys there were in the theater. There were at least 2 guys there alone and a group of like 5 guys sitting in front of me, a couple of whom were tearing up at the end. I recommend the movie. I think I am a big Emma Stone fan too. I thought Easy A was entertaining and she was really good in Zombieland. Next movie I want to see if Crazy, Stupid, Love – I think she is in that too.

Before the movie I made some Peachy Oats. Yesterday at the green market, I splurged on some peaches. But they were absolutely worth it. Best damn peaches I have ever tasted. I wanted to make a oatmeal bake but it was already 9 am, and I was already starving. Here is my quickened verison.

Impatient Peachy Oatmeal Bake

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 cup old fashion oats

1 large peach washed and sliced

1 cup water

1/2 cup milk (I used skim but use any type you like) + more for serving

1 T vanilla

cinnamon

dash of sea salt

agave/honey/maple syrup (I omitted this bc the peaches are sweet enough for me but added it to Bryan’s)

While oats are cooking slice peach and put into bottom of ramekins, reserve a slice or 2 for the top

Top peaches with oatmeal and ground flax

Bake for about 10 minutes ( watch to make sure it doesn’t burn)

These peaches are sooo good. If you are not as impatient as me I definitely recommend doing a traditional 35-40 minute oatmeal bake. The flavors will be richer. But this was still really good + I hate waiting.

Dinner tonight was also made from green market produce. One of the favorite things this summer has been zucchini noodles. I bought a julienne tool at Sur la Table and it just makes it so easy (my knife skills are not that great).And it is actually the only time Bryan helps cook too. He loves to do the zucchini.

If you need more to the dish serve alongside a serving of protein or add spaghetti in with the zucchini pasta

My favorite part was the color of the tomatoes.

The dish was so simple, but really flavorful. There is definitely something to be said for cooking with fresh, in season produce. The tastes just pop so much more. Both the peaches and tomatoes I cooked with today are probably the best I’ve had.

I’m going to end this post with a fun little 10 Personal Questions Q & A I saw on Healthy Tipping Point. I like the idea of sharing personal questions, and since I am still new at this it gives me a chance to introduce myself a bit more. So here goes….

What do you have on your bedside table?

No table on my side of the bed because of our tiny ass room, but on the floor right next to me is my iPad, latest issue of Runner’s World and Muscle and Fitness, reading glasses (so grandma I know) and my iPhone.

Do you have a tattoo?

Not yet! Always wanted one. Right now I am really digging white ink tattoos. I think they are more feminine looking.

What is your worst habit?

I bit my nails, and I have always been a pretty bad procrastinator with things I don’t want to do.

How do you handle finances in your relationship? Or, how would you like to handle money in your future relationship?

We basically keep separate finances right now because we are not married. Bryan does do all my taxes though. And the one thing we do have an agreement for is that I pay for the groceries, and he pays when we eat out. I think in the future we will probably have joint accounts both checking, savings, maybe separate retirement. I don’t know. We will mostly being paying all our bills together out of one account I think. Ideally Bryan will be funding the bills but I will physically be paying them. Haha, kidding…sort of.

If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

Something more unique. Ashley is so popular for my age group. Maybe something like my nickname, Lucy.

Where do you want to go on your next vacation?

France or Thailand. If I am staying in the US then New Orleans or Austin, TX.

What is one political cause you feel strongly about?

Education. I think the United States education system is tumbling out of control right now. Everything from the decreasing quality in public schools to funding for college. A good education is the foundation for everything in life I think.

Have you ever stolen anything?

I have stolen in the sense that I take extra sweetener packets for later use at coffee places and at conferences or talks at work take extra drinks and snacks for later or to take home. I do that a lot.

Tell us something embarrassing about yourself.

Bryan calls me fog horn because I am so gassy. I also hate wearing underwear when I am at home. I have always been this way. My mom said when I was little I would come home, strip down, and take off my diaper.

I am pretty pumped about this post. I have never been the creative type at all. Very much a left brain thinker. I used to trace Winnie the Pooh and tell my mom I drew it. Sorry mom – those drawings are no longer worth anything.

So, I came up with this recipe during a boring lecture at the lab. And it has been bouncing around in my head for a couple weeks. I just never had the right time to make it. Well, nothing was going to stop me today. Not even both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods being out of 2 of my key ingredients! Before we get to the recipe, something just as exciting, two new discoveries at Trader Joe’s. A Flower Pepper Grinder with rose petals, lavender, and cornflower. And a Sugar, Chocolate, and Coffee bean grinder. Hello morning toast!

I was at the Union Square TJ’s. I do not know if you have been to this location, but it is like hell on Earth when it is busy time. Monday at 630 – ughhhh. But these little beauties made the whole thing worth it. They were sitting on the bottom shelf of an end case. It is a damn miracle I even saw them. I dropped my basket and squatted to ground to get a better look. This was a suicide move in those cramped aisles. People were stepping over the top of me. I did not care. I was too excited. I’m hoping my new found creativity will lend itself to these spice shakers. I can’t wait to add the flower pepper to my salad tomorrow.

Anyway, back to my recipe. So I while ago, I made this strawberry basil pasta salad by Kath. I changed out a few things and up the number of cucumbers and came up with this:

Blueberry, Cucumber, & Mint Pasta Salad:

For 2 Servings:

2 servings of TJ’s whole wheat pasta (1.5 c dry)

1/2 pint of blueberries

1 large cucumber peeled and sliced into half moons

approx. 1/4 cup mint leaves, rough chop if you prefer

1/3 cup strawberry pesto (or just regular!)

2- 3 oz servings of white meat chicken cooked, cubed, and chilled (use white beans for veg. dish – I think I will definitely do this next time)

We also shared a Blueberry Wheat Beer with this dish. I think it really gave it a nice touch.

Bryan rated it a 8 on creativity and presentation and a 7.5 on taste. We have slightly different tastes and his just needed less spinach and more dressing. He was originally worried about the blueberries and mint. But overall we agree it a nice, refreshing light summer meal. Minty and Tart.

On the exercise front – another rest day. With the exception of my 2 mile round trip walk to TJ’s. I am doing some upper body lifting and swimming tomorrow to stay off my knee. I also am seeing a Physical Therapist to get a diagnosis and some exercises/treatment. Really, I want a quick fix. We will see. I suspect it is a IT band issue resulting from my sciatica. I am hoping to be up a moving by Wednesday for run club and I have the Warrior Dash this weekend.

Tell me-

Have you tried either of these new grinder from TJ’s? What did/would you do with them?

I always find it so crazy how every yoga class I go to seems to tap into exactly what I needed to go to class for. Yesterday, I said I was having a bad couple of days with my sciatica in my hips and my feet, from flip flops. The instructor announced “we are going to send some juice into those hips and do some foot stretches since it is flip flop season.” How do they know?? There was only a couple of us in the class, the smallest class I’ve ever been in. The extra attention was awesome. I still consider myself pretty new to yoga and any extra help is greatly appreciated.

After class, I went and did my new favorite leisure activity. Coffee + Reading outside at 71 Irving.

Irving has to be one of my favorite little streets in NY. It is right off the upscale neighborhood of Gramercy Park. It is a really nice side street and that is pretty quiet by NYC standards. So, it is pretty relaxing to sit outside and enjoy the weather. I keep finding myself here in the afternoons 1-2 a week lately. Bonus – it is in walking distance from my apartment. Double bonus – the coffee/baked goods are delicious!

Then, I spent 2 hours attempting to chicken out of going to the Lululemon Soho running club. I sucked it up and went. I told myself now or never. I am so glad I did! Best decision I’ve made in awhile. I got to meet Caitlin, from caitlinliveswell.com, and she was totally right – it is chill and everyone is awesome. I always thought I worked out better on my own, but I ran farther than I have in awhile with this group. And I feel great! My legs were definitely tight today, but that is to be expected. As far as my joint pain – I seem to be holding up fine after the ~4.5 mile run. I’m pretty pumped about this. I was wrong; a group workout definitely allows you to challenge yourself more. It is too easy to play it safe when you are by yourself. I think I going to make this a regular Wednesday night run. I’m hooked after just one session. They might have even convinced me to go for the Staten Island Half Marathon in October. We shall see…..

The moral to the story – face your fears. If there is something you want to try, just go for it! It will probably be great.

I will leave you with some of today’s eats.

My favorite muffin mash: About 6 oz of TJ’s 0% plain greek yogurt with 1/2 a crumbled blueberry flax muffin (advertised to be only 80 calories) and 5 raspberries + TJ’s Bay Blend coffee. This coffee is good. It is ultra dark roast. Flavor is bold and definitely hits the spot. Not too acidic or bitter at all.

For dinner, we had coconut curry marinated tempeh from Turtle Island, steamed broccoli with a little Parmesan cheese, and spiced cousous with chickpeas. Bryan and I had this chickpea dish at a New Year’s Party where everyone there was middle eastern. The food was incredible and all homemade. It was actually my mom’s boyfriend’s family. I’ve been asking for the recipe since January. Still don’t have it so I just tried to wing it with what I know of middle eastern cuisine. Here is what I did. Sorry there are no measurements for the spices.

Middle Eastern Spiced Pearl Couscous w/ Chickpeas

Cook 1 cup whole wheat large pearl couscous in 1 1/4 cup of water

Rinse and Drain 1 can of chickpeas

Add these spices to taste (or smell – it is so fragrant!) : cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, salt, pepper, and a little onion powder.

Add chickpeas at the end and stir.

It was pretty damn close. I think cooking the couscous in broth (veg or chicken) would add more flavor, which I think is what they probably did. I liked this the way it was though. Other spices possible added: all spice or cloves.

So tell me –

Are you part of an exercise group?Or have you tried something new lately that you were nervous about? I am a bit nervous about the upcoming Healthy Living Summit. But I am confident it is going to be awesome and a truly great experience.

I just realized there have been 5 photos of ice cream in the last 3 posts. This calls for a back on track meal. I was definitely craving greens and something light. Light, but still filling. On the way home, I stopped at one of those expensive specialty markets in NYC for the ingredients I had in mind for dinner. I am running low on produce since my last “big grocery shopping trip.” I save those trips for TJ’s and Whole Foods. Going to the specialty markets or generic grocery stores, like Gristedes, which tend to be kind of crappy, only when I need to a few things fast.

I knew I had a block of tofu at home, so I picked up green leaf lettuce, a medium eggplant, sliced portobello mushrooms, and some fruit grapes and blueberries. The fruit is not for dinner, but for breakfast/snacking. Dinner was going to be simple: baked tofu and steamed vegetables over greens.

For the Tofu:

Preheat the oven to 400 and cover baking sheet with foil and cooking spray

Drain and Press Tofu for 10-15 minutes

Slice into 1/2 inch thick slabs

Place slices on baking sheet and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper

Bake for 30-40 minutes; flipping every 10 minutes or so

Eggplant and Mushrooms:

chop mushrooms into bit size pieces and steam for 3-5 minutes

cut eggplant into quarters lengthwise and steam 12-15 minutes, or until tender

eggplant into bit pieces

Assemble dinner salad:

Rip up lettuce and plate

layer eggplant and mushrooms

add tofu slabs

drizzle with Aunnie’s Natural Lite Honey Mustard

sprinkle sunflower seeds

You could also do what Bryan did and add some cooked brown rice for a little more staying power/good carbs.

Have you heard this myth that eggplant has no nutritional value?? I do not know where this originated, but I have been told this a few times. Well, it is so NOT true! One cup of eggplant has 3g of fiber and 5% of your daily potassium and folate. For only 20 calories, I would say that is not bad. Eggplant is also rich in flavonoids that help protect your cells against damage and cancer. So eat up!

What is your go to back on track meal? If I don’t make a salad it is usually a veggie topped rice bowl.

I’m off to readBossyPants. I’m only like one chapter in and I already love it! She’s hilarious and so entertaining.

Hello, Hello. It is only Tuesday, and I already cannot wait for the weekend. Not that I ever really get to relax on weekends either, but nevertheless – come on Friday! Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I am just exhausted.

I cooked tonight! I had half a tray of left over extra lean ground turkey breast from yesterday’s meatballs.

Toasted Cumin Turkey Burger Salad

For the Turkey Burger combine these ingredients in a bowl (for 2 large burgers):

~1/2 lb of EL ground turkey breast (organic, cage free)

1/3 chopped onion and clove of garlic sauteed until browned

large handful of fresh chopped parsley

season with salt, pepper, oregano, paprika, and red chili flakes

I cooked them on the stove and added a bit of swiss cheese at the end. I served the turkey burger over baby spinach and topped it with left over toasted cumin dressing from Candle Cafe. I also baked up a small sweet potato topped w/ greek yogurt, pepper, cinnamon, and Bryan added walnuts.

The above photo is Bryan’s massive burger. I cut mine in half and opted out of the walnuts tonight. Here is my plate:

The parsley did so much for the burger and the cumin dressing went really well. I was very pleased with this dish. Granted, I did not make the dressing.

In other exciting news, I am signing up to be a running buddy in the Girls on the Run 5K. This organization an awesome idea. Working with young girls ages 8-13 to get them excited about health and fitness.

I am heading to bed shortly, but first I would like to share this article on Sprouted Grains: Are they as healthy as they claim? – The answer is yes they are healthy, but it could be for a number of reasons. The mostly likely reason is because they are minimally processed and therefore not stripped of their nutrients.

My favorite sprout is broccoli sprouts. I like the on sandwiches with hummus and avocado.

I am really bad at my time management lately, and my blog keeps getting put on the back burner. But chores are definitely even further back. We are going to rewind back to Thursday for a moment, and relive my birthday. I had a great birthday. I had not 1 but 3 presents + dinner from Bryan! The first was an Anthropologie gift card. I also got a Garmin Forerunner and Tory Burch wedges.

For dinner we went to Candle Cafe, an organic,vegan cafe on the Upper East Side.

I’ve been dying to go here for a while so I knew it would be perfect for my birthday. Great idea because the food was fantastic. Bad idea because I wanted everything on the menu and could not decide.

We started with the homemade grilled focaccia with ginger-carrot miso spread.

I really liked everything I got. It was all stuff I had been craving. But there are a lot of other things I want to try next time. And the vegan restaurant was male, carnivore approved. He loved his lasagna and said he could definitely go back.

Over the weekend, I did blog about my 5k because I was so happy about. My official time! Excuse the weird copy and paste.

Interval

Time

Total Time

Overall Place

Overall Back

Gender Place

Gender Back

Division Place

Division Back

Pace

5k

00:29:24.822

00:29:24.822

81

+00:11:13.933

78

+00:08:54.709

19

+00:08:54.709

00:09:29.3 min/mi

Work and babysitting was nothing excited. I have also been really lazy with cooking lately too. I’ve been eating a lot of eggs, pitas with hummus, soup, and baked sweet potatoes. I did cook tonight though. I’m sure Bryan was thrilled.

On top of Spaghetti…All covered with cheese….I lost my poor meatball….when somebody sneezed.

You know that childhood song right??

So, I’m a bad Italian. It took me 24 years to make my first meatballs. And for some reason they were light in color and got flat on the bottom – they looked like little scones. Luckily, they tasted like meatballs.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft but not browned, three to five minutes.

2. In a large bowl, place turkey, onion-garlic mixture,basil, oragano,breadcrumbs, tomato paste, egg, salt and pepper. Using your hands or a large spoon, gently mix together until combined.

3. Using a small ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, portion out turkey mixture in golf ball sized increments. Use clean hands to roll mixture into 20 meatballs and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake untl lightly browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

As you can tell by yesterday’s post, I am stressed and strapped for time. I started forming my new schedule last night.

I still have some rearranging to do until it is finalized. But no wonder I have not been getting everything done – I can’t fit it all in! I need to figure out how to schedule in yoga. Something I did add in is the Saturday morning Lululemon Running Club. I have been saying I wanted to do this for over a month. Part of the reason I have not is being out of town 3 weekends since March, but also I have nervous about it. I don’t know how far they run, how fast, how I will hold up. Any advice? Should I do it? Do you have a running club?

I was feeling pretty overwhelmed yesterday and crabby so I painted my nails blue. Blue doesn’t have to mean gloomy. It can pretty too!

And dinner was definitely worth posting about – a 7.5 on the Bryan 10 point scale.

Ginger Tofu Rice Bowl – Adapted from The Best of Clean Eating Cookbook

I cooked brown rice and pressed tofu with a towel and 2 heavy books. Sliced half the block into cubes. Daily Garnish has a good tutorial. In a tupperware bowl added 2 large T of garbanzo bean flour (can use any flour recipe called for whole wheat), sprinkle of onion powder, garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of ginger. Then I placed the cubes in the bowl put the top on and shake, shake, shake. Saves a lot more time then dredging each cube individually. I cooked them until brown on each side on a sprayed skillet. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Re-spray the same pan and add your veggies. I used red bell pepper, snap peas, and TJ’s broccoli slaw. Saute for a few minutes until veggies brighten up. In a blow mix 1 T of soy sauce, 1 T of rice vinegar and another 1/2 tsp of ginger.

Add tofu and sauce to the skillet with the veggies. Mix and let cook for another minute or two.

Add rice to a bowl and top with veggies and tofu. It was really good.

I have also been eating lots of blueberries. This morning breakfast was cereal made with left over whole wheat couscous topped with blueberries, cinnamon, walnuts, and splash of almond milk.

While enjoying my breakfast I saw a piece on 1000 Awesome Things on the Today Show. This guy was having a rough time so he started a blog(imagine that!) and started listing everyday awesome things. The little things in life that make you smile. I was really glad I turned on the Today Show this morning. It was ironic that have been in a weird mood and then this story came on. It made me realize that I have a good life, and my biggest problem right now is having a good job and too much things to fit into my life. This is a good thing, not bad!

Here are some awesome things off the top of my head:

Getting a new magazine in the mail

Free samples at the grocery store

Smell of fresh cut watermelon

Spontaneously coming across a NYC street fair

Singing in the car – I miss this one living in the city and not driving

Welcome!

Hi! I am Ashley. A life long food enthusiast, but with a newly developed healthy attitude. This blog is a place for discussion about healthy living, as well as a resource for the science behind healthy choices. Freckles & Spice is my commitment to stay on the path towards healthy and active lifestyle and to rediscover myself, all while balancing the fast paced, hectic life of a professional twenty-something living in the city. Thanks for stopping by!

First time here? Check out this post for a little introduction to what you will find here.